Black cherry tomatoes are unique. They have deep rich tomato flavor without being very very sweet. Many of the tomatoes we see (especially grape & cherry) are sooo very sweet. These are wonderful and different.

In Stop & Shop, this time of year, they often sell "heirloom" tomatoes, at "heirloom" prices. Also, I don't recall seeing more than about a dozen at any given time. I have seen far too many tomatoes sold at so-called "farmer's markets" with the supermarket stickers still on them.

yuppicide, Here in Dallas, We'd kill for good ole vine ripened beefsteak tomatoes from New Jersey. We're lucky a few stores get NJ blueberries for a very short time during the summer. Count your blessings

Try local produce markets that have Amish farmers selling their homegrown produce. Many of them grow "heirloom" tomatoes, and while not good looking, they are delicious. These old time tomatoes fell out of favor to big ag industry truck farms, but are making a comeback among small local growers. I especially like the purple and yellow varieties myself, as they have lower acidity.

Thanks for the suggestions.. I'm browsing that farmers market site now. I've been two two farmers markets, but they didn't have any interesting varieties of tomatoes.

You can definitely tell the difference between a Jersey tomato and one of those crappy ones from Florida. We stay away from those.

But I was browsing a website that sells seeds and they showed two that I mentioned Ukrainian Purple tomato, and Zebra Tomato, but tons of other ones. Each one has a description that seems to make your mouth water with excitement!

@twinwillow: My Mom moved to Hawaii. Every year we send her Jersey tomatoes. We use the USPS flat rate priority boxes. We usually pack them in something, such as a chinese food container. This helps protect them. We do the same for my Aunt in Florida.

You can order Jersey tomatoes online from Delicious Orchards.. $15.99 for 6.. they're a trust worthy company, so I say order from them with confidence.. I've been going there for a long time.. over 20 or 25 years I think? They have a lot of gourmet foods and their vegetables look great every time I go there.

Look up online, there's a few places that at least have Jersey Tomatoes in cans.. I know it's not the same, but maybe you have a use for it. There's also a place making ketchup out of Jersey tomatoes, but I didn't really like the flavor.

The Costco in Edison currently has a pack of 5 different good-sized heirloom tomatoes for about $5. Unfortunately they are not labeled so I don't know types they are, but a couple of them were really terrific.

YUPPICIDE---- You spoiled so n' so! As Twinwillow implied, you should get down on your knees and kiss the dirt that grows those wonderful NJ Tomatoes. Right about now I'd kill for just one of those beautiful red orbs of delicious goodness. Some fresh baked Jewish Rye Bread, a little mayo and some salt and a Sliced Beefsteak Sandwich would beat going to a 5 star restaurant any day. Be thankful for your blessings! No fancy schmanchy hairloom tomato can beat a NJ Beefsteak. Period!

Heirlooms can be a little hard to grow. I've seen them die off in a day or two. Now you can buy grafted plants (or graft them yourself) for better results. I have a few heirlooms in my garden (non grafted) that are doing good so far. Johnny's seed co in Maine has some good "how to" videos on their web site, if you want to try grafting. In my experience, heirlooms don't sell well enough to be worth the effort. Folks like to examine them and ask about them, but then buy the cheaper, better looking modern hybrids.

Due to a wet cold spring, I am yet to open my own stand, and will not be doing any farmers markets this year.

Yes, heirlooms can sometimes be difficult to grow. But you can usually find unusual plants during early May at local plant sales. (Van Vleck in Montclair, Crane House in Montclair, and anything sponsored by the Rutgers Cooperative Extension are good bets) My favorite farmers markets are in Ramsey (Sundays) and Blairstown (Saturdays). It's a hike to Blairstown, so we make extra sure to stop at the diner!

Farmer's Market here in Jackson, MS, has several growers who have heirloom tomatoes. They are really wonderful, especially the purple ones. I can't really enjoy the yellow ones. My brain tells me to expect a mango, and the disconnect is too much.

Took me a little while to find this thread, but here I am. My wife and I did get to the Rutgers Tomato Tasting on Wednesday. Although there was a light to medium rain the whole time we were there, it was very well run, with tents set up for the various tasting stations. There were at least a few hundred people there (suprising on a rainy weekday afternoon) but the crowds were very manageable.

The tasting stations were set up by tomato type (cherry, beefsteak, slicing, medium, plum, etc). We sampled about 60 different tomatoes, with several outstanding ones. They did give us a goodie bag upon entry with a checklist for tasting notes, but with the rain it was hard to take any notes. I did take some pictures of tomatoes I especially liked. The two I liked best were a juicy red one called Rose De Berne and Yellow Peach (yes, it tastes like a peachy tomato).

There were also a few booths with light tomato dishes, such as brushetta, salsa, and 6 different basil/tomato salads. These seemed to have the longest lines, but we did manage to sample each.

All in all, a great way to spend a late afternoon in the beautful farmland of West Jersey (NJ is not all like the opening scenes from the Sopranos..). Get on the E mailing list for next year:

Ohio ranks 5th in the nation for production of fresh market tomatoes and 3rd for production of processing tomatoes, so we are surrounded by them. I like the heirlooms, especially in a restaurant where you can do some cool presentations. But for a good tasting, everyday eating tomato I still say you can't beat a big beefsteak......very few seeds, lots of meat and good tomato taste. We go to the farm once or twice a week for beefsteaks and green ones for frying. I hate when tomato season ends.

so--exactly what is a "JERSEY" tomato--is it any variety grown in Jersey?--do they feature a particular variety ? I know i have lived all over the USA and can always find "Homegrown" tomatoes---especially in my yard---but almost any good Farmers market---BUT--no matter where you are--tomatoes in winter SUCK!--commercial toms just cant get the attention good SUMMER tomatoes do and are usually hybrids created for PACKING and shipping not eating! I know that i hav3e had Jersey toms in the summer at my daughters in Brooklyn from a Farmers Market in Manhattan--and they where good--but so was every backyard tomato that anyone has shared with me for the past 50 yrs!

Years ago in Arlington, VA I asking our CC's executive chef - who only used 'real deal' tomatos where to find them - I was directed to the DC Farmer's Market on 5th. and FL, NE in WDC. Sadly, I see that it had closed.

The equivalent here in Dallas is spottly on the quality side, so we go to Central Market and every now and then get some 'home run tomatos'. For produce, they beat even Wegmans, though overall I prefer Wegmans and wish we had them here in the Big D. http://www.centralmarket.com/Home